Make Ahead Meatballs

Make Ahead Meatless-Meatballs

1 pound protein crumbles
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
1/3 cup dry bread crumbs (any flavor)
1/4 cup milk
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper


1 cup chili sauce
1/2 cup cold water
1 jar (12 ounces) tomato pasta sauce (any variety)
1 teaspoon yellow mustard

1.Heat oven to 400ºF.

2.Mix protein crumbles, onion, bread crumbs, milk, egg, salt and pepper. Shape mixture into thirty 1-inch balls. Place in ungreased rectangular pan, 13x9x2 inches.

3.Bake uncovered about 15 minutes or until no longer pink in center and juice is clear. (To serve immediately, continue as directed in step 5--except decrease simmer time to 15 minutes.)

4.Place meatballs on ungreased cookie sheet. Freeze uncovered about 20 minutes or until firm. Place partially frozen meatballs in heavy plastic bag or freezer container. Seal, label and freeze no longer than 3 months.

5.About 25 minutes before serving, mix chili sauce, water, pasta sauce and mustard in 2-quart saucepan. Add meatballs. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally; reduce heat. Cover and simmer about 20 minutes or until meatballs are hot.

Tips:

Partially freezing the meatballs before putting them in a plastic bag ensures that the meatballs won’t stick together and lose their shape when thawed.

These meatballs don’t have to look the same the second time around. Crumble leftovers and stir into chili, pasta sauce or a sloppy joe or taco mix

Chicken Sauté with Pear and Ginger

I love this recipe, it tastes wonderful and is easy to make; we ate this again tonight:

bunch green onions

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

2 teaspoons canola oil

3 tablespoons cider vinegar

2 tablespoons sugar2/3 cup dry white wine, or pear or apple juice

2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger

1 1/3 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

2 large firm ripe Anjou or Red Bartlett pears, peeled, cut lengthwise into 8 wedges

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon water

1. Chop white portion of green onions; place in small bowl. Chop 1/4 cup of the green portion; reserve for garnish. (Store remaining green onion tops in refrigerator for another use.)

2. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add chicken; cook 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned and no longer pink in center, turning once. Place on plate.

3. Add vinegar and sugar to skillet; stir to dissolve sugar. Cook 30 to 60 seconds, swirling skillet, or until syrup turns dark amber. Add wine, green onion whites and ginger; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute. Add broth and pears; return to a boil. Cook 5 minutes or until pears are tender, turning occasionally.

4. In small bowl, stir together cornstarch and water; whisk into sauce. Cook, whisking constantly, 30 seconds or until slightly thickened. Reduce heat to low; return chicken and any accumulated juices to skillet. Gently simmer 1 to 2 minutes or until chicken is heated through. 5. Place chicken on serving platter; surround with pear slices. Drizzle with sauce; garnish with reserved green onion.

4 servings PER SERVING: 260 calories, 6 g total fat (1.5 g saturated fat), 27.5 g protein, 23 g carbohydrate, 60 mg cholesterol, 375 mg sodium, 2.5 g fiber

Coriander and Mustard Seed Chicken

I made this again tonight, and I remembered that
this is probably my favorite chicken recipe :)
This recipe is so easy but is very delicious!

Ingredients~

4 chicken breasts or 8-10 chicken tenders
1 tlbs oil- olive or canola, really doesn't matter
2 shallots- or any onion will do, 1 small yellow or red onion
2 tsps coriander seeds (whole seeds)
2 tlbs mustard seeds (whole seeds)
1/4 cup of dry white cooking wine, or red cooking wine, whatever you have handy
1/4 cup water
1 tlbs of apple jelly or apricot jelly
1 tlbs of chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Directions~
Season chicken with salt and pepper, heat oil in skillet and brown chicken on both sides, about 6 minutes on each side. Remove chicken to a plate.
Cook shallots or onions until carmelized, about 5 minutes. Then add mustard seeds, coriander seeds, wine, water, and bring to a boil.

Return the chicken to the skillet and simmer covered until cooked through, about 20 minutes.

Add jelly and cilantor, stir until jelly is melted. I normally remove the chicken from the skillet, then add the jelly so it is easier to mix, then spoon mixture over the chicken.

Meatless Chili for Chili Dogs

We ate this tonight over hot dogs, toasted up the bun with some "butter" on top of the stove, served it with a little mustard or mayo, whichever everyone liked.

1 pound protein crumbles
1/2 cup chopped onion (1 medium)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
1 15-ounce can red kidney beans, undrained
1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
3 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions
1. In a 3-quart saucepan stir protein crumbles, 1/2 cup chopped onion, and the garlic over medium heat until meat is brown and onion is tender. Drain off fat.

2. Stir in Worcestershire sauce, tomato sauce, undrained beans, undrained tomatoes, chili powder, salt, and black pepper. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.

A variation:

Cincinnati-Style Chili: Prepare as above, add 1 to 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 tablespoon cider vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice, 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper with the tomato sauce.

To serve, place 1/2 cup hot cooked spaghetti on each of 4 serving plates; make an indentation in center of each portion. Top each serving with some of the chili, 1 to 2 tablespoons shredded cheddar cheese, 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped onion, and/or 1/4 cup additional kidney beans.

Egg Foo Young

My dad used to make this for me when I was little, too. Loved it!

6 eggs
2 brocolli stalks, chopped
1 can of water chestnuts, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
salt, pepper

Mix all ingredients in a bowl, heat 1 tbls oil in skillet, pour 1/4 cup of mixture and cook until slightly brown, flip, cook other side. Serve with soy sauce.

Tortilla Hold the Soup- RR

JoElle and I were watching Rachel Ray's talk show together and saw this recipe, instead of using the noodles, we subbed corn tortillas, salsa, and pickled jalapenos. It was delicious! Oh yeah, we omitted the peas Rachel used, the fam does not like peas!!

Since becoming vegetarian, I have taken out the "chicken"

Tortilla Hold the Soup

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons EVOO - Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 to 3 carrots, cut into matchsticks
4 to 5 ribs celery from the heart, cut into matchsticks (including the leafy part)
2 small zucchini, cut into matchsticks
Salt and ground black pepper
1 pound extra-wide egg noodles (or corn torillas!)
1 tablespoon margarine (no lactose allowed for family meals in our house!)
1/2 cup (about a handful) flat-leaf parsley, chopped (cilantro if you are making Mexican style soup)


Preparation:

Bring a large pot of salted water over high heat for the egg noodles.

Place a large skillet over medium-high heat with the EVOO. Add the onion, carrot and celery to the pan, and cook until the veggies begin to get tender, 3-4 minutes. Toss the zucchini into the pan along with some salt and freshly ground black pepper, and cook another 2-3 minutes until all the veggies are tender.

While the veggies are cooking, drop the noodles into the boiling water and cook to al dente according to package directions. Drain the noodles and return them to the pot they were cooked in. Add the butter and parsley to pot and give everything a good toss to melt the butter and coat the noodles.

To serve, spoon some noodles into bowls and top with the chicken and veggie mixture.
(For Mexican-style: warm the tortillas in the microwave, spread with margarine, cut up and add veggie mixture, salsa and jalapeno peppers to serve)

Chinese Dumplings- My Dad's recipe

Also known as "Potstickers"

My dad taught me how to make these when I was a teenager by taking me to the store with him, helping me shop for the items, and then having me chop everything and then we would assemble them together. When Tim was over, he would help us, also!

Ingredients:

1 bunch of green onions (use all parts)
1 head of Bok Choi
2 cans of water chestnuts
2 large portabello mushrooms
2 lbs of ground pork, ground turkey, or ground sausage (any combo of the three, whatever is
avail)
little bit of sugar
pinch of salt
several shakes of teriyaki sauce
several shakes of oyster sauce
some cornstarch
Raviloi wrappers / wonton wrappers or eggroll wrappers (will have to cut these into 4's)

Chop all ingredients finely, preferably in a food processor (much faster!), add sugar, salt cornstarch and sauces in with veggies and meat in a large bowl and mix together with your hands.

Set out 15 wonton wrappers on counter, add dollop of dumpling mixture and bring up all sides to partially close the dumpling. Set into bamboo steamer that has been sprayed with Pam or wiped down with margaring. Steam over boiling water for 15 minutes. Stack two bamboo steamer's full of dumplings.

For sauce:

half part teriyaki sauce mixed with half part of soy sauce, add some sugar and 1-2 jalapenos, deseeded for less heat.

Serve dumplings with sauce and enjoy!!!